Suspect accused of stealing from cruise ship crew mates

Nearly $8,000 in cash taken, investigators said

Huanhuan Shen, 27, was arrested and accused of stealing from his crew mates… (Broward Sheriffs Office,…)

April 23, 2013|By Wayne K. Roustan, Sun Sentinel

A 27-year-old cruise ship crew member was arrested as he disembarked the Celebrity Eclipse at Port Everglades on Saturday, according to the Broward Sheriff's Office.

Huanhuan Shen -- a Chinese national who worked aboard the Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines ship -- was accused of stealing cash from two of his co-workers, the arrest report stated.

It happened around 2:58 a.m. eastern time while the ship was at sea.

Shen went into a cabin, found a key, opened a safe, and took $4,600 belonging to crew mate Yang Zhang. Moments later, Shen opened another safe and took $3,300 from cabin-mate Zhibao Dong before placing the safe keys back in the drawers where he found them, the report stated.

Surveillance video aboard the ship showed Shen in the cabin area just before the robberies. Records also showed his electronic access card was used to enter the cabin that he shared with Zhang and Dong, investigators said.

Upon his arrival at Port Everglades, Shen was taken to the Broward Main Jail where he was booked on two charges of grand theft. Bond was set at $2,000 but Shen was being held for immigration officials, jail records showed.